Looking for answers to life's questions

Posts tagged ‘rescue’

It has been the oddest week. Monday started out playing musical cars with my daughter as we had used mine all weekend. She was on her way to work at 6:30 a.m. I pulled out and waited for her to pull out next, then I would back into the driveway as she went off to drive to the MAX for the rest of her trip into downtown.

I looked back and her headlights started flashing. Rolling down my window and backing up a bit, she got out of her car to tell me her battery was dead and her car wouldn’t start. The mechanic where she’d recently had work done on the car mentioned that it was weak and suggested replacing it. There would be no more procrastinating. She ended up taking my car to the MAX and picking up a battery on her way home.

It’s still pretty for a 1997 Olds Bravada.

I must say, I was impressed with her tenacity to struggle with the bolts that held the battery in place; hunting for the tools she needed in the dark and cold to get the job done.

The next morning, I was cautious as she started her car after I pulled out to let her head to the MAX but off she went. I put mine back in the driveway. We are not allowed to park in the street which makes sense to me because they are narrow and emergency vehicles need easy access. Ten minutes later, my daughter was back in the driveway. What was wrong now? She got out of the car and came inside but she wasn’t alone.

She witnessed a medium sized dog running around the streets of our neighborhood dragging its leash behind. What could have happened to its person? So, she pulled her car in ahead of the dog and called it to her. This sweet thing came willingly and once she had it in the car, she brought it home for me to figure out the next step as she hurried to catch the light rail.

I did what any dog mom would do, I fed her and spoke soft sweet words to her. She was curious about everything including the chunk of ham from which I had just cut a piece. She was tall enough to reach to top of the kitchen counter to retrieve it herself so I quickly put it back in the fridge and sat to post an ad in our neighborhood site with a fuzzy photo and my phone number.

Where’s the food?

She had no tags nor name attached and was not going to settle down so I quickly dressed and put her leash back on. After giving her a few moments to wander my tiny backyard, we hopped into my car and I began the search for someone searching.

Riding shotgun. I could have kept this sweet girl but she wanted her own people.

It didn’t take long after a couple of stops to ask a neighbor or two if they were missing a dog or knew of one, to find a car slowly driving up and down roads randomly. I flashed my headlights at the car and it stopped. A young man (by my standards) got out and came to my window on the passenger side. Dog was in the back seat. I asked if he was looking for a dog. He was. It was his parents’ dog and her name was Goose! She jumped into the front seat as soon as she saw him and responded to her name. Goose was quite strong and I could see her easily pulling someone over in her playful puppiness. She had apparently seen something that made her run after it and off went the chase. Goose was finally back where she belonged and my daughter was relieved no humans were left lying in the street injured somewhere. Another rescue with successful results.

Is your week going according to plan or have you also had things pop up unexpectedly?

I’ve come out of my cave this week. This may be the last of the hibernation. With the assistance of some wise words by a fellow blogger, I began to understand the reason for the retreat. When a blogger said she didn’t own a self-help book, I had to take a look at why I needed so many.

The last three years have brought many changes. Not all of the changes were pleasant, all were necessary. Through it all, I’ve had my sister to support me, along with my wonderful adult children. Sis has gone through so much more hardship than I can even imagine and we are both somewhat lacking an essential ingredient to make life as successful as it could be.

Lonely seagull waiting, watching

Self-esteem, not inflated ego, is absolutely necessary to healthy relationships. Unfortunately, you can’t get that from a self-help book. Three years ago, she came to my rescue with a big yellow truck and drove it 1800 miles while my daughter helped me pack and drove my car. This weekend, it was my turn to rescue her.

Sweet DowntownPort Townnsend, WA.

She was left stranded with no vehicle and no phone four hours away in a lovely little town. Fortunately, she had her laptop and e-mailed me. We had to wait until Friday afternoon when my daughter got off work and could drive while I navigated the unfamiliar roads. Somehow, my daughter and son have healthier self-esteem and I’m grateful for them both.

Would have been nice to be stranded here but not in our budgets

The reason my sister was so far away was so she would be cut off from any support system. When a person you are in a relationship with starts to separate you from those that care about you, warning bells often go off. Many of us chose to ignore the bells. I’ve actually had the hair stand up on the back of my neck to warn me that I was approaching a bad situation. That, I listened to, thankfully.

That was the other reason I had retired to my cave. I felt helpless to do anything and devastated at the possible loss of someone else I loved. All I could do was sleep, eat and pray. Someone must have heard the prayers because the spell has been broken. I was going to leave her there if it had not been. It’s interesting the things we as humans will do to be loved by another. Intelligence has very little to do with it. Human behavior is something that I am absolutely fascinated by.

Ships reminder at the dock

Now I feel like I can work again. I’ve been slugging away at a project that just wouldn’t come together until now. Hopefully, by evening it will be in the finishing stages. Pictures will follow if success is achieved.

Know your comments are always appreciated and taken to heart. I may be an old woman but I still have so many lessons to learn in this lifetime. This one taught us both so much. I am grateful to have found that sister I love so much once again.

I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. ~ Agatha Christie